The Gateway DX300 is a good choice for entry-level users who want to upgrade to a more powerful system.

single-core power in a quiet btx case is the promise of gateway's new midrange dx300 pc ($1,289 direct, $1,109 without monitor). the machine has a lot to offer users who want to take their computing experience beyond the basics and branch out more into multimedia, but don't want to spend more than $1,500.

the dx300 has strong components inside, so you don't have to worry about your system becoming outdated after a year or two. after all, the reason we recommend this price point for midrange computers is because your system should survive at least three years performing increasingly challenging tasks. the included hyper-threaded pentium 4 630 processor is a mid-level workhorse, as is the nvidia geforce 660 graphics card, which is designed for people who want reasonable graphics performance, but don't need the most advanced gpu. these components, combined with the 250gb hard drive, present a powerful home pc with most of the capability of high-end multimedia systems, but at a sub-$1,500 price.

the one thing you won't get with this system, however, is a dual-core pentium d processor: gateway has limited that cpu to its high-end fx400 series. dual-core can help you when you're doing multiple things at once, for example, recording tv programs and running an antivirus scan in the background, while surfing the internet in the foreground. if you need to run concurrent active tasks, we suggest setting your sights a little higher, toward the high-end multimedia systems with microsoft windows media center edition.

the 250gb hard drive gives you enough space for thousands of digital photos or songs and hundreds of video projects. as the dx300 doesn't include a tv tuner, 250gb should suffice. that capacity hard drive seems to be the new mainstream standard, since three of the five systems we've profiled at this price point have it. if it isn't enough space, there's space inside the case for an additional hard drive and pci card. for a mainstream system, the dx300 has good expandability.

the gateway dx300's btx case is an interesting one, with more character than the one found on the top-of-the-line fx400mc. the prominent ducted air inlet, like the functional turbo scoop on a subaru wrx sports sedan, channels cooling air over the dx300's heat sink, seated deep in the case. at first we thought the gap left on the top of the door was for cable routing, but closer inspection showed it was to aid cooling. a sliding front door covers usb and firewire ports, hiding them when they're not in use, for a clean exterior design.

in pc magazine labs testing, the pentium 4 630 processor helped the dx300 garner overall good scores on sysmark 2004 se. the dx300's score of 200 on internet content creation is respectable, and its 167 on office productivity shows that it can perform routine tasks just as well as any high-end $4,000 system. the geforce 6600 graphics ensure that you get a satisfactory gaming experience when playing the latest 3d games, but it would probably be a good idea to keep the most challenging details turned off. the dx300's score of 50 frames per second at doom 3 is good; it certainly outperforms many systems at this price point with integrated graphics, including the dell dimension e510 and the compaq presario sr1030z.

like other gateway systems, the dx300 comes with a 90-day subscription to norton internet security and a 30-day subscription to mcafee antispyware. aside from the inconvenience of having to keep on top of two different "security center" control panels (one for mcafee and one for norton), we just wish vendors would pack in a complete package with at least a one-year subscription to updates.

when compared with equally priced systems, the dx300 lacks the tv tuner and media center os of the dell dimension e510, and the dual-core processor of the hp pavilion a1250n. the dx300's 250gb hard drive, however, is larger than the e510's 160gb one, and it has a more powerful graphics card than both the dell and hp.

as long as they can live without the benefits of windows media center edition, demanding users and casual gamers will find the dx300 an attractive upgrade from the entry-level pcs they may have gotten in the past.

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About the Author

Joel Santo Domingo is the Lead Analyst for the Desktops team at PC Magazine Labs. He joined PC Magazine in 2000, after 7 years of IT work for companies large and small. His background includes managing mobile, desktop and network infrastructure on both the Macintosh and Windows platforms. Joel is proof that you can escape the retail grind: he wore ... See Full Bio

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